Faith, family, food and fun are priorities in my life. I hope to share my faith, family activities, day to day recipes and the fun of my life (and sometimes, the not so fun aspects, too!)

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Saturday, September 20, 2008

Apples, Apples, Apples

OK, earlier this month (or was that last month?) my friend Mary gave me a boatload of corn, and also some pears. This week, my friend Denise gave me MORE than a boatload of apples! I had a HUGE garbage bag, a 5 gallon bucket AND 3 walmart type bags of apples! And they are beautiful and tart. MMM....some are in the fridge for snacking on. I am thanking God that I own a Pampered Chef apple/peeler/corer/slicer thingy. I started at about 1 and finished at 7:30 tonight.

I made 2 apple pies (one two crust, and one with a crumb topping).

I made 7 quarts of cinnamon applesauce. I filled my tupperware microwave bowl to the brim with apples. Sprinkled on a few tablespoons of sugar, and microwaved them for 6-8 minutes. Then, Rachel threw in a few handfuls of cinnamon red hots. We cooked it for a few more minutes and then stirred like crazy to get it fairly smooth. It is SUCH a pretty, pink color, and tastes GREAT! We did this either 3 or 4 times.

I also have my 6 quart crock pot full to the very top with the ingredients for crock pot apple butter. My family LOVES apple butter! Here's the recipe. I will freeze it rather than can it, though.

Crock Pot Apple Butter

Ingredients:

5-1/2 pounds apples, peeled and finely chopped

4 cups sugar

2 to 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place apples in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt; pour over apples and mix well. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 9-11 hours or until thickened and dark brown, stirring occasionally (stir more frequently as it thickens to prevent sticking). Uncover and cook on low 1 hour longer. If desired, stir with a wire whisk until smooth. Spoon into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Cover and refrigerate or freeze.

And, I also used 24 cups of apple slices to make freezer apple pie filling. It tastes GREAT, and will be a great item to have in the freezer. I have 6 bags of the filling. Here's the recipe for that.

Freezer Apple Pie Filling

18 cups thinly sliced apples (up to 24 cups)

3 tablespoons lemon juice

4 1/2 cups white sugar (1/2 brown sugar 1/2 white)

1 cup cornstarch

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

6-8 cups water

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and set aside. Pour water into a Dutch oven over medium heat. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to water, stir well, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

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Sandy

About Me

Who am I? I am a Child of God. I am a wife to Ron, and mother to 4. I am a Lutheran. I am a Pastor's Wife. I am a teacher. I am a friend, daughter, sister. These are just a few of my "labels". Read the blog to find out more!